Japan spends tens of billions of yen in reserves to strengthen data security and considers blocking websites that leak personal information
In response to recent frequent cyber attacks, the Japanese cabinet has decided to spend approximately 10 billion yen to strengthen security and is considering forcibly blocking websites that leak personal information.
Quick Look
In view of the recent frequent cyber attacks that have led to the leakage of personal information, the Japanese government decided at a cabinet meeting to spend approximately 10 billion yen from the 2026 reserve fund to strengthen security and to consider the mandatory blocking of specific websites to prevent secondary damage.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A number of recent cyber attacks in Japan have led to the leakage of personal data, which has aroused the government's concern about information security protection and secondary victimization.
(Central News Agency Tokyo 6de comprehensive foreign news report) Japan has recently experienced a series of cyber attacks that have led to the leakage of personal data. The government decided at a cabinet meeting today to spend approximately 10 billion yen (approximately NT$2.1 billion) from the reserve fund in the 2026 budget to strengthen cyber security.
Jiji News Agency reported that approximately 2 billion yen (approximately NT$410 million) will be used to check security vulnerabilities in government systems using artificial intelligence (AI); approximately 4.1 billion yen (approximately NT$840 million) will be used to enrich the equipment required by the police to investigate cyber attacks and cultivate relevant talents; approximately 3.8 billion yen (approximately NT$780 million) will be used to strengthen the security protection of the Digital Agency system.
In addition, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 5th that the Japanese government will compile an "Internet Security Emergency Countermeasure Plan" in the near future, which is scheduled to include countermeasures to prevent secondary victimization, including studying a "blocking" mechanism that forcibly blocks users from connecting to specific websites, and listing it as "access suppression measures."
GMO Internet Group, a large Japanese IT company, was previously hacked, and the attackers subsequently published the stolen personal information on the website on October 27. To prevent further abuse of leaked personal information, the government will review countermeasures, including blocking, and related legal issues as soon as possible.
The "blocking" mechanism refers to forcibly cutting off a user's connection to a specific website so that the user cannot browse the website. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications believed that "the risk of expanding secondary damage" has emerged, and on the same day asked domestic telecommunications operators to block relevant websites.
Some people think that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' approach is appropriate, while others criticize it as too hasty. The reason is that when operators implement a blockade, they must confirm all connection destinations of all users.
The right not to disclose information such as communication contents and communication recipients to third parties is a "communications secret" protected by the Japanese Constitution and other regulations. Therefore, in the past, whether to implement a blockade has been carefully evaluated.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Japanese government will compile a "cyber security emergency countermeasure plan" and study legal issues related to the blocking mechanism
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Would mandatory blocking of websites violate the constitutional guarantee of confidentiality of communications?
- When will specific regulatory adjustments be officially introduced?
